The Speaker:

I declare the motion carried. Accordingly, the bill stands referred to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.

~ Hansard, March 23, 2017

By a vote of 150 to 140, Bill C-323, which would create a tax credit for the rehabilitation of historic properties, passed Second Reading in the House of Commons last Thursday. [1] Wow!

To get this far is quite an achievement for a private member’s bill, especially one with revenue implications. Peter Van Loan, Conservative member for York—Simcoe and the bill’s sponsor, issued a press release calling the vote “A Victory for Heritage.”

Said Mr. Van Loan: “This Bill represents a historic opportunity to invest in our cultural heritage. It is very exciting that the House of Commons supports our initiative. We’re looking forward to debate in committee.”

The bill now goes before the House Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development for detailed review. No word on the timeframe for that yet, although the press release says the bill is due for committee discussion “in the near future.”

With a healthy MP presence in the House that afternoon — 292 out of a total of 333 MPs voted on the bill — we get a good sense of where the parties, and most individual MPs, currently stand on the bill. [2] It’s clear the main opposition parties — Mr. Van Loan’s own Conservatives and the NDP — both support the legislation, at least in principle. All of the Conservative and NDP members in the House at the time voted for it. Of the 150 MPs voting in favour, 128 were opposition members. [3]